BOSTON — Two bitter rivals will square off at TD Garden on Monday night, and there will be plenty of star power on the court despite a few nagging injuries on both squads.
Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown are available for the Celtics as Boston welcomes the Los Angeles Lakers to town for the first time this season, according to head coach Brad Stevens. Walker missed Saturday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns thanks to some soreness in his left knee while Brown missed the last two after spraining his right thumb in the Celtics’ loss to the Pistons on Wednesday.
Stevens said Walker and Brown won’t be under any specific minutes restriction, but did say they likely won’t come close to playing 40 minutes.
Anthony Davis (gluteus maximus) is available as well, per Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, and will be restricted to 28 minutes. Rajon Rondo (ring finger), on the other hand, will be a game-time decision.
Davis has missed the last five games for the Lakers after taking a hard fall against the New York Knicks on Jan. 7 and did not practice Sunday as expected. Rondo, meanwhile, has missed the last three games after fracturing his right ring finger against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 11.
The Celtics have lost six of their last eight games and quickly have fallen from second place in the Eastern Conference to fourth. A win here is key to the Celtics regaining their footing in the East, as Boston could fall to sixth place with a loss tonight because the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets earlier Monday. But winning against this Lakers team will be no simple task.
Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.
